30 Adar I, Beginning of Ch. 34
The Alter Rebbe writes: our Avos -- Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov -- "did not cease even momentarily from binding their mind and soul to the Master of the universe," spending every moment in total awareness of, and self-surrender to, G-d's Oneness. Their constant awareness of G‑d’s Oneness led them to be continuously in a state of self-nullification before G‑d. This self-nullification is what we are talking about we say that the Avos were a Divine “chariot”; a chariot has no will of its own, it only has the will of its driver. The Prophets who came after them also experienced this self-nullification according to their individual levels, where G-d's Will became their will. Moshe Rabbeinu achieved the most complete level of surrender to G-d, such that the very words he spoke were G-d's speech; the relation of Moshe's throat to G-d's speech was that of one’s throat to his own speech. At Har Sinai, the Jews experienced a glimmer of this level of self-surrender, but they were not at a level where they could sustain this level of surrender and still remain in their bodies. Because they could not live with this feeling of self-surrender, G-d commanded them immediately to build the Mishkan, in which would be the Holy of Holies, wherein His presence would dwell (i.e. His unity would be completely revealed in the Holy of Holies). The Alter Rebbe will point out later in this chapter that when one specific place is singled out as a "dwelling place" for G‑d’s presence, despite the fact that “His glory fills the entire earth,” the uniqueness of the dwelling place is because of the revelation of G‑dliness that occurs there. In contrast to the rest of the world, where G‑d’s Oneness as the only existing being is concealed, in the "dwelling place of G‑d’s presence” it is completely clear that “there is nothing besides Him.” So it was that the revelation of G‑d’s Oneness that the Jewish people experienced at Har Sinai, but that they could not sustain, was continued by means of the Mishkan. Make It Real How can each of us, at our individual level, work toward achieving a higher consciousness and awareness of G-d's Oneness? It starts by creating a tangible awareness of G-d's presence in literally every area of our lives. How can we create this foundational awareness of G-d's presence everywhere in our lives? By talking to G-d about literally everything. Going to buy a new pair of shoes? Ask G-d (out loud!) to help you find the perfect pair. Feeling frustrated at a friend, spouse, or child? Tell G-d, "I am soooo frustrated right now!" It can take some practice to feel comfortable talking to G-d like a best friend, but this is how we begin to consciously involve G-d in every area of our lives, which will lead us to higher and higher levels of awareness of His presence and Oneness.
